Red Hood and Robin: Family traditions
by MissScorp
Summary: Bruce is away for the weekend and Jason Todd has agreed to babysit his baby brother. Jason/Damian bonding and fluffiness. T for swearing. One shot.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but for the general concept of my storyline and theme.

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"So, what movie do you think I should pop in?"

"Pop in anythin' ya want so long as it ain't from the _chick flick_ section at the back of that second DVD case."

There was bright amusement in her eyes when she glanced over at him.

"And just how is it that you know that I have _chick flicks_ at the back of my second DVD case?"

"'Cause I flipped through it while you were downstairs making that huge bucket of popcorn with the kid."

"Is that so?" one dark brow lifted. "Well, I bet ya can't even name one movie at the back of said case that even remotely fits the definition of _chick flick._"

"_Must Love Dogs_, _Titanic_, _Moulin Rouge_, _The Proposal_ and _Pride & Prejudice_."

_Of course, the dratted man would be able to tick off five without even batting an eye_, she thought with a trickle of amusement.

"Alright, you win." She finally said. "_Four_ of those movies are definitely ones that I'd say constitute the definition of _chick flick_."

"So," Jason laced his arms across his chest, smirked. "Whataya gonna gimme for winning?"

"Not what you're thinking," Raya said dryly. "We're Dami-sitting this weekend, remember?"

"Kid's gotta sleep at some point, Kit. Then," his lips curved into a slow, seductive smile that had her stomach curl into slippery little knots. "You can gimme my prize."

Raya swallowed before pulling a disc from the case. "This one alright?" she asked him.

"Fine with me."

_As you knew it would be_, he thought with a slight smirk.

Because she knew _Terminator_ was his favorite movie.

Just as she knew that he loved watching Looney Toons whenever he was feeling what she liked to call "mitchy".

And that he loved listening to old school Metallica while they were on their early morning runs.

And that he liked to unwind by restoring old cars he found in the Gotham auto-wreckers.

And that he was really good at building all sorts of mechanical gadgets and gizmos.

But Raya also knew his deeper, darker secrets...

Such as how much he liked the feel of his name on her lips.

And how her touch filled in the parts of him that were broken by the traumatic events he'd experienced over the course of his life.

And that his favorite scent was jasmine mixed with just a hint of orchid and vanilla.

And that he could not sleep unless she was curled against his side, her head cradled upon his shoulder and her hand resting on his chest.

Just as _she_ knew about all of his hopes, and all of his dreams.

And about each and every one of his fears.

_She_ was the only one who knew about the nightmares that had him waking, screaming in the middle of the night.

Because Raya Kean knew everything that there was to know about Jason Todd. She could name each and every one of his good qualities-what few of those he thought that he even had. And she could list each and every one of his bad qualities-which was a list he thought was as long as he was tall.

She knew about each and every one of the skeletons that were in his closet.

And about the innumerable offenses he'd committed against his father and brothers. Some of which he'd yet to even make amends for.

She even knew about his one-night stand with Talia al Ghul.

_And still loves me anyway_, he thought with a small hitch of wonder.

Jason could freely admit that he was in love with this green-eyed hellcat. And how the hell that had happened, he did not know. He'd sworn he would never fall in love. Or allow himself to become tied down to any _one_ woman. But he hadn't counted on this small slip of a girl invading his heart and taking it hostage. Nor had he anticipated that his baby brother would see the way that their individual pieces fit together. And wasn't it a helluva thing when an eleven-year-old could solve a puzzle that you, at twenty-two, could not?

_Have yet to thank the kid for that_.

He watched as she came walking towards the bed. And thought as he was watching her. The Joker had once insinuated to him that he'd manipulated the major events of his life. _Well_, Jason thought as Raya crawled into the bed next to him, _she is the one part of my life that that sick fucking clown has not tampered with. And that's because my baby brother beat the pasty-faced freak to the punch_.

"Ya sure that we should be allowing the kid to stay up late watching movies?"

Raya snorted.

"You do realize that you're asking this about the kid who normally stays out all night patrolling Gotham as Robin, right?"

"Believe me," he drew her down until her head was cradled on his shoulder. "I haven't forgotten that he spends most of his nights alongside Batman."

There was a vague note of disapproval in Jason's tone, but Raya didn't comment upon it. She knew his feelings about his days as Robin. And she knew his thoughts about Bruce having not only dumped Tim Drake into the mask at fourteen, but Damian at age nine. That he was against it was an understatement. But the choice was not his to make. And while he had finally come around to respecting that fact, accepting it was another kettle of worms altogether.

"Why is allowing Damian to stay up past midnight watching movies with us buggin' ya all the sudden anyway?"

"Well, I thought we were supposed to be playing the responsible adults while Bruce was away this weekend?" he asked. When he felt her nod, he said, "well, shouldn't that include puttin' the kid to bed at a respectable time?"

She snorted. "Oh, please, Jason."

"What?"

"Like responsible adults help their eleven-year-old brothers plan out how to steal the lemon trickle cake that Alfred made for Sunday's dessert?"

"If they are teaching said eleven-year-old how to _responsibly_ hide said lemon trickle cake at the bottom of a bucket of popcorn, yes."

"You really like that lemon trickle cake heists are now yours and Damian's little tradition, don't ya?"

"Alfie's gonna pitch a bitch. But," Jason swept a finger over her cheek. "I am thinking that traditions are a good thing for brothers ta have. Though, it ain't like this is the kid's first snack heist." He gave her a pointed look. "Tend ta recall hearing about cookie bandits reappearing at the Manor a few weeks ago."

"Well," her lips curved impishly. "I had to teach our baby bird about what fun snack traditions are."

"Ya taught him what it means ta belong to a family, Kit."

"Speaking of family..." she angled her head to look at him. "Jas, you do realize what this weekend bro-bond means to Damian, don't you?"

He ran his hand down her arm, taking hers, and touched his lips to her forehead. "I know what it means, Kit," she felt the curve of his lips against her skin. "And the funny thing is? Being part of the family doesn't scare the fucking piss outta me like it used to. In fact," he grinned sheepishly. "I'm kinda likin' being a big brother."

Raya merely raised her eyebrows and looked amused. "Come a long way from being the guy who was doing everything in his power to tear his family to shreds, haven't ya?"

"That's cause I had a much too intelligent, prideful, stubborn pain in the ass she-cat with verbal claws that can slice a guy ta shreds take it into her head that I needed ta get my head outta my proverbial ass."

"Aw, ya better quit flirtin' with me, Jas," she teased him. "Dami could return at any minute, and we don't wanna get caught in a _delicate_ position."

She saw his gaze drop to her mouth, linger before moving back to hers. "I'm thinking that we've got a couple of minutes ta ourselves..."

Her smile was his smile, his breath mixed with her breath, and his heart beat against hers. They held there, one long and anticipatory moment, then their lips met. Clung. But that flame of desire was quickly stifled when they heard feet racing down the hall towards the bedroom.

"And that would be Damian now," she said, and then giggled.

Jason sighed as he turned his head to glance at the door. "Kid's got an impeccable sense of timing I swear..."

"Those are the breaks when you're babysitting your baby brother."

There was a spark in her eyes, and a trickle of amusement in her voice as Damian Wayne came barreling into the bedroom a full five seconds later. His face was wreathed in cocky exuberance and his blue eyes shimmering with pride and deviltry as he hoisted a specially crafted bucket overflowing with freshly popped popcorn high into the air.

"I got the lemon trickle, popcorn, and..." his grin was heart stopping. "Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies."

Jason and Raya glanced first at each other, and then back at the triumphant boy.

"Kit, our baby bird has crafted a new family tradition..."

Raya wiped away an imaginary tear. "Makes a girl proud ta see her baby bird spread his wings and concoct his own snack stealin' traditions."

Jason patted the empty place next to him on the bed. "I'm thinkin' that ya craftin' a new snack tradition has earned ya the place of honor next ta your big brother."

Raya knew that Jason couldn't have given the boy any better gift. _Belonging_ was something that Damian and Jason shared in common. But unlike Jason, who felt like he didn't belong because of his ambiguity about violence as a method for justice, Damian knew that he had a rightful place as Bruce Wayne's biological son. But that didn't stop him from wanting his brothers to want him, to belonging to that little group that they all formed. Because Jason had had one thing right: _she_ had taught Damian Wayne about what it meant to belong to a family. Because she knew that at the end of the night there was only one thing that they all had:

Each other.

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**A/N:** Alright, so this is in response to challenge prompt #8 of the RLt Green Room Challenge which says:

_Use the following four words somewhere in your story: bucket, trickle, lemon, vertigo. Pass Go and collect $200 if you make at least two of them a symbol for something._

Challenge accepted!


End file.
